Early January saw members meet for “Before the Twelfth Night”, a social gathering held at Mary’s house. Plates of delicious food were bought and shared while conversations on projects completed and those still to do reverberated around the room. It was a great occasion to meet with members and to catch up on all sorts of news.

Our first Guild meeting, held at the end of January, was well attended and we welcomed some new members too. Anne Acres and Juliet kindly prepared a needle felting workshop to kick-start the year. Everyone had a choice of either needle felting a flower or a dog. An enjoyable and productive afternoon was had by all.

For our February Guild meeting we welcomed Claire from the “Contemporary Hempery” to give a talk on the hemp project she and her colleague Kitty have undertaken. Claire has become a passionate advocate for hemp and explained the project’s journey so far, as well as giving a brief history on hemp production, its uses and its importance as a crop. It was a fascinating talk, inspiring members to have a go at spinning some of the fibres Claire had bought with her.

We welcomed members from other Guilds in Norfolk to join us for the talk; the room was buzzing with interest and enthusiasm and Claire was inundated with questions when we stopped for tea and cake.

Further information on the “Contemporary Hempery” project can be found at: www.wakelyns.co.uk/contemporaryhempery